"I would accept immediately" - Ex-Inter defender reacts to rumors linking Napoli with audacious deal for Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Inter Milan defender Massimo Paganin has urged Napoli to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United and send Victor Osimhen the other way.
Ronaldo is keen to join a club with Champions League football this summer and has asked Manchester United to allow him to leave. However, he has struggled to find any buyers so far.
With less than a week remaining in the transfer window, the forward's agent Jorge Mendes has ramped up his efforts to find him a new team. Gianluca Di Marzio claimed on Thursday (August 25) that he has been offered to Napoli.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s representative Jorge Mendes has approached Napoli over a potential move.
Mendes is working hard to find Ronaldo the solution he wants 💭 https://t.co/Fu1FCUbvgR
Napoli, though, are well-stocked in attack, having signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Giovanni Simeone (loan). Mendes is thus prepared to help the Serie A club sell Osimhen, with Manchester United mooted as a potential destination.
Osimhen has a contract with Napoli until 2025 and is viewed as a key player for them. Luciano Spalletti's side thus would only sell the 23-year-old for a triple digit offer, i.e. €100 million.
🗞 Napoli, however, would only accept a triple-digit offer for Osimhen and it is difficult to see how #mufc could afford him with the money they are prepared to commit to buying Antony. [Sky Sports]
Paganin believes Manchester United will be ready to pay up for the Nigeria international. Napoli should thus not think twice about cashing in on him and signing Ronaldo in that case, as per the former Inter defender. He told TMW Radio:
"If I were Napoli and there was this opportunity, I would accept immediately. In addition, [there is] 75% chance that United would pay up for him, which seems desperate to offer such a thing."
"It seems like fantasy football to me, but if that were the case I wouldn't think about it if the club had the opportunity to do so."
Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille for a deal worth €80 million in 2020. He has since scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists from 64 appearances across all competitions for the club.
Signing Cristiano Ronaldo makes sense for Napoli commercially
Paganin pointed out how Italian clubs prioritize playing in the Champions League over winning the Serie A title now due to the finances involved. He feels signing Cristiano Ronaldo would benefit Napoli commercially as well. He said:
“The teams now aim more to enter the Champions League than win the Scudetto sometimes."
"The clubs think about the system and try to enter a competition that brings you a lot of money and the Ronaldo operation in this sense would make sense."
It remains to be seen if Napoli will be prepared to sell Victor Osimhen this late in the window, even if it means Cristiano Ronaldo joining them.